Okanagan Basin Water Board

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The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is a water governance body designated to identify and resolve critical water issues for the Okanagan watershed in British Columbia, Canada. It was set up to implement the recommendations of the Okanagan Basin Study, [1] and to take on a range of responsibilities for water management. The OBWB’s jurisdiction is defined by the geographic borders of the Okanagan Basin [2] rather than political boundaries. [3]

Okanagan Region of British Columbia, Canada

The Okanagan, also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of the Okanagan Country, extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington. According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population is 362,258. The primary city is Kelowna.

British Columbia Province of Canada

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. With an estimated population of 5.016 million as of 2018, it is Canada's third-most populous province.

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States, stretching some 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, with 70% of citizens residing within 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Contents

Overview

Water is one of the most precious and important natural assets in the Okanagan Basin. Even though the Basin is endowed with several large lakes, the supply of clean, reliable water is inherently limited by the semi-arid to arid climate, which brings minimal precipitation and high evaporation and evapotranspiration rates. In fact, according to Statistics Canada the Okanagan Basin has the lowest, per capita availability of fresh water in Canada. Water shortages have already occurred in some areas of the Basin, and are expected to occur more widely and frequently in the future.

Arid severe lack of available water

A region is arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Environments subject to arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most "arid" climates straddle the Equator; these places include parts of Africa, South America, Central America, and Australia.

Climate Statistics of weather conditions in a given region over long periods

Climate is defined as the average state of everyday's weather condition over a period of 30 years. It is measured by assessing the patterns of variation in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological variables in a given region over long periods of time. Climate differs from weather, in that weather only describes the short-term conditions of these variables in a given region.

Evapotranspiration

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land and ocean surface to the atmosphere. Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and waterbodies. Transpiration accounts for the movement of water within a plant and the subsequent loss of water as vapor through stomata in its leaves. Evapotranspiration is an important part of the water cycle. An element that contributes to evapotranspiration can be called an evapotranspirator.

Powers

The OBWB does not have regulatory authority, but has taxation powers to support its activities, there is only one other example of this in the province- The Municipal Finance Authority. The OBWB operates primarily as regional service delivery body focusing on incentive-based programs, which provide support in different ways for projects promoting good water management. As the OBWB assesses funds from all Basin residents, initiatives are focused on activities that have valley-wide benefits. Nine of the twelve Directors are elected officials appointed by the three Okanagan regional districts, and (since 2006) the Okanagan Nation Alliance, the Water Supply Association of BC, and the Okanagan Water Stewardship Council each appoint an additional Director.

The Okanagan Nation Alliance is a First Nations Tribal Council in the Canadian province of British Columbia, spanning the Nicola, Okanagan and Similkameen Districts of the Canadian province of British Columbia and also the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state of the United States of America.

At the time of the OBWB’s inception, algal blooms and other signs of deteriorating lake water quality and the explosive invasion of Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) were the most serious water issues in the Basin. For many years the OBWB’s activities focused almost exclusively on these areas, bringing significant improvements to water quality and the aesthetics of Okanagan beaches. Several factors over the past thirty years, including rapid population growth, increased awareness of climate change, and the forest fires [4] and drout, [5] reinforced calls to refresh the OBWB’s mandate. In 2006, the OBWB took on a new Water Management Initiative and a more active leadership role in the valley.

Algal bloom Rapid increase or accumulation in the population of planktonic algae

An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems, and is recognized by the discoloration in the water from their pigments. Cyanobacteria were mistaken for algae in the past, so cyanobacterial blooms are sometimes also called algal blooms. Blooms which can injure animals or the ecology are called "harmful algal blooms" (HAB), and can lead to fish die-offs, cities cutting off water to residents, or states having to close fisheries. Also, a bloom can block out the sunlight from other organisms, and deplete oxygen levels in the water. Also, some algae secrete poisons into the water.

Water quality chemical, physical, biological, and radiological characteristics of water

Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, biological, and radiological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through treatment of the water, can be assessed. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to health of ecosystems, safety of human contact, and drinking water.

<i>Myriophyllum spicatum</i> species of plant

Myriophyllum spicatum is native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa, but has a wide geographic and climatic distribution among some 57 countries, extending from northern Canada to South Africa. It is a submerged aquatic plant, grows in still or slow-moving water, and is considered to be a highly invasive species.

The new Water Management Initiative brought the OBWB closer to its original mandate from 1969-1970. The OBWB’s purpose is now stated as: “Providing leadership to protect and enhance quality of life in the Okanagan Basin through sustainable water resource management”.

Functions

Over the period of this initiative, OBWB has been increasingly effective at promoting best practices and improving communication between jurisdictions. The OBWB has also had great success partnering with provincial agencies – especially in support of regional water science and monitoring.

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